This section provides background information which is not necessarily prior art to the inventive concepts associated with the present disclosure.
Polymer coated metals are known. Their desirability stems largely from the combination of the advantages of a core metal substrate with those of an outer polymer coating. In the automobile industry, for example, the characteristics of a resilient, conformable metal, such as aluminum or steel, are often desirable for trim members. Some polymer coatings, while permitting the metal substrate to retain these desirable characteristics, may facilitate resistance of the metal substrate to degradation from environmental elements, including extreme temperature fluctuations, and can further act as a sealant interface, such as between a window and an adjacent support frame. In addition, some polymer coatings are further intended to render exposed portions of the trim member as being visually appealing.
One known approach taken, in the automobile industry, to manufacture a trim member with materials and characteristics discussed above has been to produce two separate metal strips, one partially coated with a first polymeric material suitable to achieve a first set of desired attributes and the other partially coated with a second polymeric material, different from the first polymeric material, suitable to achieve a second set of desired attributes. The separate strips are then fixed together with the first polymeric material being visually exposed to provide an aesthetically pleasing finish surface and the second polymeric material being concealed to function as a visually unexposed sealant. Although the trim member attained from such manufacture can result in attributes desired, it is labor intensive and costly in manufacture.
The present disclosure addresses these issues, along with others, as will be readily appreciated by one possessing ordinary skill in the art upon viewing the entirety of the disclosure herein.